Alone
by Araceli L
Summary: Link tries to cope with his depression and loneliness as he watches - and constantly remembers - his life fall apart around him. How can he be saved when there's no one left to save him? But, perhaps, the people who also need saving are the only ones able to truly save. Finally, after 4 years, it's completed!
1. Chapter 1

I am alone in this world.

I had been left alone, I had survived alone, and I had grown up alone. I had discovered alone, learned alone, and I had understood alone. Days were meaningless – all that mattered were food, drink, and shelter. Would I live to see tomorrow? And that was all I cared about. Could I complete this task, could I defeat this enemy, could I save this land?

It had been a controversial question – though it didn't matter anyway. I had no one to mourn for me if I was struck down in action. It would be unfortunate for the kingdom, but no one would cry out in pain at my death. No one would lay a lily on my grave, because no one would remember. No one would smile weakly with watery eyes over a joke I'd pulled when I had been a child. No one would care.

Now, that I have indeed been 'fortunate' enough to survive the perilous ordeals demanded of me, I am still as alone as ever. I pace through this bleak manor's empty halls, various screams of agony occasionally snaring my thoughts, which are nearly always directed at my past. I stare blankly into far away space, time so absolutely mutated, my brain forever tainted by what I'd been pushed into unwillingly, the secrets I'd uncovered accidentally, and the lives I'd taken reluctantly.

A child's ragged, dirty face as I was forced to steal from her, perhaps not allowing her to live another day by depriving her of money, for maybe her only lifeline, a loaf of bread. The cowardice that was inevitably inside us all, being revealed on a terrified man's face as I held my glinting, blood-thirsty blade to his neck. A woman's face as I struck down her son, the pain in her eyes making me want to turn my own sword against me…

I sit alone in my room, my prison cell of haunting memories and taunting hopes that will never come true. Every night I gaze at the stars, endeavoring to halt my tears and my regrets, begging for God to end it now, to rescue me from this pathetic, crumbling life….

It's not just. Have I not done my share? Have I not saved countless, pointless, purposeless people from endings as bad as my own? Isn't it my turn to be rescued?

I am scared. Fear is eating me alive, because no promises have ever been kept before and no one ever cares enough to keep them, or now even make them.

I am falling. There is nothing to catch onto, nothing to grab ahold of; there is nothing to land on, nothing to spring me back up like a toy children enjoy…

I am breaking, with no one to come fix me. No one is there to save me, help me escape from the walls of despair I've built around myself. But I force myself to wonder if I would ever let anyone in if they tried.

I am shattered. No one cares. No one looks at me admiringly, adoringly, or tenderly. Nothing matters. Nothing is worth it at all. Life is a hassle, useless, and for me, it is something that should end immediately.

I am nothing. I am an empty shell, a soulless being wrecked by hopelessness and wrenched apart by desperation. Any sense I once had has fled my body and my mind, exchanging for sorrow and silence.

I am alone.

A/N: **Dark, huh? I decided to take a turn for the worst…I know this is SUPER short, but there's more to come. I know I have 2 other multiple-chapter fics going, but this will only be like 5 chapters. Leave a review if you want to make me feel fuzzy and warm inside, to lighten the mood. ;) **

**~ClumsyHeart17**


	2. Chapter 2

I step carelessly through the rain-drenched earth. My cap has long since disappeared, but I don't care enough to retrieve it. It was a bother. I don't avoid the puddles. Instead I splash through them, like the two young psychic boys prolonging their stay in the storm because for some reason they find it enjoyable. They are in contrast to the cute young girl in the bulky pastel coat, darting here and there to dodge the depressions of water. Her twin follows closely behind.

I wonder about these kids, these children, and the hated tournament's affects on them. They are _only _children, meaning to say, should they truly be put through all of this – pain, suffering, harsh reality – all for the pleasure of entertainment? Yet at the same time, they are the light and joy of the Manor, even for someone like me. Their giggles are like glittering fluttering in the air as they tickle each other pink. Their smiles are like the sun on storm-weary days such as these. Also they seem to handle the tournament's pressure much better than any of the experienced adult Smashers – a dry smile, twisted by irony, is on my face. Oh yes, they deal with things in a much simpler way. Everything is easy, and when something goes wrong, it is simply dealt with, then forever forgotten. It's as if they are here to keep us sane.

If only I could have those talents – if only I could be a young child again, free of burdens and worries and wants, of remorse and torment. If only it worked on me.

As the word _want _comes to mind, a thunderbolt rips the swirling sky in half, making a female's voice shriek behind me. Instantly I stiffen, bite down on my lip, and I frantically try to clear my mind's eye of all the memories that are called forth at the sound of that voice: shining crystal blue eyes, an erratic heartbeat, a feeling of flying and the need to run away and the hope of never looking back.

My footsteps are slowing purposely, every part of my heart telling them to and every part of my brain screaming at them to keep moving.

She needs me. She wants to see me as much as I want to see her. She'll understand we need to talk.

No, she hates me. She never wants to see me again. She distanced herself, separated herself from me because neither of us can forgive and forget. She'll never understand, especially not anymore…

I feel her coming closer to me. It was similar to way back then, before shadows possessed me, when she could sneak up behind me, a giggle always betraying her. She'd wrap her slender arms around my 'surprised' neck, kissing my jaw tenderly, whispering something in my ear…

She passes me without so much as a second glance. It hurts, but I am frozen in place, my gold hair dripping into my stinging eyes. My gaze is locked upon her as she dances gracefully between the puddles, attempting to keep her royal dress perfectly unblemished. However, she is laughing with someone, someone who is following her the way the brother in the winter coat was following his twin.

He is tall, heavy-built; no one ever doubted his strength, but the first time he swung his two-handed sword with only one hand, even our greatest expectations proved to be underestimations. His frayed and tattered cape sways behind him in the angry wind, the ripped end weighed down by water. His deep chortles are whipped away by the gale as her pure white dress gets freckled with mud, mixing in with her own laughs, her dramatic, full-fledged laughs.

Suddenly the gale pushes her forward, and she falls into his chest, where his arms encircle her. Her chuckles die out, fading away into the wind as she stares into his eyes. Her pale, flawless, and long-fingered hands are pressed against his broad chest, his fingers stroking her spine. They gaze at each other as if no one in the world existed, like I'm as invisible as the sun on this day, like they were the only two people who had ever walked through life, and together.

I am burning with anger. I am livid, eyes bright and hands curled into fists. My rage is boiling inside me, and only the thought of my dear princess keeps me from tearing out my well-won sword and slicing his head off. He had _no _right to touch her. He has absolutely no reason to even be alive at this moment. He should die for the crime of attempted theft, and I say trying because I am not going down, and he is not winning, without a fair fight. Theft is a lowly man's excuse and this 'hero' has been honorable many times before. I _am _a hero, so I shall keep my honor and dignity.

Suddenly he is leaning toward her, his face descending, and I am thinking rather tolerably about shedding my heroic tendencies as easily as if I am a snake shedding skin.

I am about to rush over, but I see my princess blush and turn her face at the last escape, stepping out of his arms awkwardly. I smile humorlessly, but with triumph, as they finish their walk in silence. If I were capable of such enthusiasm, I would punch my fist in the air and crow to the shrouded sky. But my only expression is a cold sneer.

Yet I'm not feeling good. For some reason, I cannot take much joy in my small victory. Perhaps because it is only a small success? But it was a key achievement. Why, then?

I can't figure it out, but I am still stuck to where I am. It is unfathomable, but I can't seem to make one foot follow the other. The rain begins to feel chilly as it splatters on my rising face. I stare at the clouds, water pouring down my facing.

As the rain strikes me, it starts to feel like encouragement to the sinking sensation in my stomach. My mind is once again in a knot, and I feel more desperate than I ever have before.

I need someone. I need anyone. I just need someone _for me._

I am alone.

* * *

A/N: **This story makes me feel all confused inside. Well. For the first time in history, I updated a day after I started this story! DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY! (Brownie points to whoever knows what I'm referencing.)**

**Thanks to: JSparks! Thanks! I try. :) and Moonlight. Thank you! I do hope you enjoy the rest.**

**To all, thanks for reading, if you did. However disturbing, I hope you enjoyed. Please review. Merry Christmas!**

**~ClumsyHeart17**


	3. Chapter 3

_Her smile filled my mind: shining, beaming, the light of my life. It was dazzling and awe-striking. Her eyes drew the color of the great lake behind her, leaving the once-shimmering water dull in comparison to her sparkling eyes. Everything was toned down compared to her. She was beautiful._

_And she was mine._

_I grinned back at her. As she rested her wise head against my chest, I embraced her tenderly, welcoming her pressure and pondering how this had ever come to be._

_After I had saved her from Ganondorf the first time, I remembered blinking...and suddenly we were in the clouds. Standing on nothing, not being anywhere...just being with her._

_We discussed everything that had happened – and what would happen next, what measures would be taken to prevent something like that from ever happening again. After everything that could be talked about had been talked about, we fell silent. It was slightly awkward. What were you supposed to say to someone who you have an unexplainable, unnatural, and irrevocable bond to? She had been everything I had focused on in my quests – and I'd never spoken to her save for one time in my life, not counting now, where she'd seen me in a dream. Yet she'd become my grounding point, my hope when everything became hopeless. She'd saved me from desperation – I'd saved her kingdom. It was a fair trade, but we hadn't come face to face until now._

_Finally she held out her hand, and a sincere but rushed apology and thanks burst from her lips, as if she were afraid that if she didn't say it then, she never woud have said it at all. She continued to thank me – for the courage and bravery I'd shown, for rescuing her people and herself, for performing above and beyond the greatest heros of the land – when I put a finger to her perfect, parted lips. She quieted instantaneously._

_I shook my head. I mumbled shy thanks for her skills and perserverance, and said the real hero was she._

_Her angled cheekbones turned a beautiful rosy pink and she looked pointedly at her feet._

_After a while, she held out her hand. Understanding, I reached into my pocket and withdrew the Ocarina of Time, the simple wind instrument that had mystifying powers and had transformed my life amazingly and tremendously. With a quiet sigh, that had nothing to do with the loss of the magical item, I released it into her palm._

_She studied it, biting her lip. Then she pocketed the instrument and gazed up into my eyes._

_I was stunned by her joyously bright features and the innocence of a child yet the wisdom of a sage that shone out from her very being. This girl – this young woman – was someone who would impact my life even greater than this adventure had._

_Her other hand was stretched in front of her, her gaze unwavering. I looked deep inside those crystal eyes, and I understood._

_I reached out my rugged hand, the callused skin having once been smooth and unblemished, seven unburdened years before._

_She grasped my experienced palm with her gentle, yet powerful fingers._

_For when she took a hold of my hand, she gained a permanent hold on my heart._

* * *

A/N: **Yay, a super-short nothing written in italics. I bet you guys had fun reading that. (*insert sarcasm here*) Anyway, I felt the need to update. Hope I didn't disappoint. Since this is pre-written (unlike my other fics) next chapter should be up soon. Unfortunately, I haven't written the ending. Also I got a new laptop (*SCORE*) but it doesn't have Word, which sucks balls. If anyone can give me pointers on how to work the stupid spellcheck on OpenOffice, I'd appreciate it mucho. On that line, please forgive any spelling errors. That dang spellcheck...**

**Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Pleaseeeee drop me a review! :)**

**~ClumsyHeart17**


	4. Chapter 4

Does my life have a meaning?

I stare out my window, trapped in my thoughts like always. Except this time I am remembering everything we've been through. Our love was like nothing ever before.

After we defeated Ganondorf, and she returned us to seven year prior our second meeting, I grew up.

It was as simple as that. I grew up.

But when I turned seventeen in the natural way, not in a way involving the drawing of a supreme sword and a warlock with vast stores of magic always taking swipes at my life, I was called upon by the castle.

When I arrived in the main hall of Hyrule castle, I waited nervously, fidgeting with the straps on my tunic, which was similar to the one I had worn...when I was this age. I shook my head, pushing back my golden locks. It was so befuddling. Would it be called the past? Well, I had worn it when I was seventeen for the first time.

I was summoned into the courtroom. I stepped in through the immense stone and gold doors, the chilly wind rushing forward to meet me as they swung shut with an echo. Anxiety snagged my stomach.

I glanced up, trying to steady my trembling legs.

There was Princess Zelda, smiling fondly down upon me. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, I wasn't prepared for the warmth in her smile.

I walked forward as if in a trance, forgetting to kneel in my astonishment. But she did not reprimand me as I advanced.

She sat on the large engraved throne, majestic and more gorgeous than I recalled. Her auburn locks flooded over her shoulder like a waterfall, shiny and elegant. Her eyes twinkled like stars and she lowered her regal chin as her mouth continued widening into a grin.

Finally I halted where I was. I felt as though I could not move forward anymore; it was as forbidden as entering the Temple of Time had felt, years ago in a different destiny.

She picked herself off the throne, gathering her flowing skirts around her. As she stepped down the shallow stairs that led to her seat, the different stretches of fabric, seemingly lighter than gossamer, floated around her like she was descending on waves of pastel mist. I was struck with awe to say the least. She looked like a goddess forced upon earth.

Her hair slipped off her shoulders as she walked up to me. Even in high-heeled shoes, she had to turn her chin up so she could pierce me yet again with those stunning eyes. Her figure was magnificent – a laced, pale pink bodice dressed her torso, ending dangerously below her defined collarbone. Only twisted ribbons adorned her pale arms as sleeves, looping below her shoulder. It was almost unfair to be dressed in such a way.

Then I was frozen, paralyzed, numbed as her downy fingertips reached up and stroked my dirty cheek. Again, again, leaving them burning, the places her fingers had been flaring...deliciously.

She was searching my eyes, and my breath began to come back, unsteadily. I closed my eyes slowly, trying to make this moment last...

When I opened my eyes, she was smiling.

I smiled in return; in a way I'd never smiled at anyone else before, nor would at anyone else but her.

A/N: **Yay, super-shortness again! Actually, Sorry about that. I hope this chapter wasn't too much like the other. The difference is he is recalling this, and in the last chapter, it was set directly in the past. Also, if anyone realized how much I steal from my own stories (the hand/heart thing, and now the dress) it's because I didn't think I'd be putting this up. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and fellow Zelda fans: I just put out a one-shot of Link and Dark Link, that's not yaoi. So if you ****like some of my work...feel free to check that out. ;) ^.^ **

**Thanks for reading! ~ClumsyHeart17 **

**P.S. -Oh, and special thanks to Anyone. You've supported me a lot, and unfortunately I can never personally thank you because you don't have an account. I'm extremely grateful and honored by your words. Thank you so much! 3 :D I love getting your reviews. I love all the reviews, actually. Thank you all so much!**

**Note: I apologize so much for the horrid grammar mistakes. I swear I fixed that, bu I guess it didn't save.**


	5. Chapter 5

My heart beats like a drum.

My head pounds like a thundercloud.

My mind races like a wild horse as I fight to the death.

Here I go again, my world an endless, empty sphere of agony and despair. I swing my sword, I recoil and twist and thrust like a cobra, deadly and silent. Occasionally a cry will slip from my opponent's lips, but I am not so weak. I never falter. I am as steadfast as my heartbeat.

I defeat the prince easily. He shakes my hand, offering a small smile of encouragement, but he is no fool. He gives up quickly and exits the room, wiping sweat off his regal forehead and sighing. I watch as one of the most beautiful women ever seen tackles him as soon as he has a foot out the door, her blond hair covering her face as she kisses him. It pulls painfully at my heart as I turn my eyes away.

Ordinarily, I overcome my foes in a short space of time, so it wasn't surprising today when I beat the Altean without breaking a sweat in an extraordinarily short time. Not only was it a great distraction, but it was the perfect way to release all my pent-up fury:

Ike and Zelda are engaged.

I sit alone in the corner f the training room, resting my head against the blank white walls. Suddenly I feel too weak to do anything. My brain is separated into three fractions: the first part is still trying to process the fact that the Crimean swordsman and _my _princess are going to be _married_; part two is desperately searching for anything, anything at all, to distract me from this unbelievable and heartbreaking news; and the last fraction is craftily plotting my revenge and cunning ways to get her in my arms again.

Finally it sinks in: my princess will never be pledged to another man. She _loves _this man, so much that she is promising her life to him, and not only that, but her kingdom as well, and other things I endeavored to ignore.

Instantly tears prick my eyes, and I hastily begin to pick myself up so I can run away, like the coward I am.

When unexpectedly a curious young face is close to mine.

I back away, embarrassed and surprised. I turn my head, my gold hair brushing across my face and thankfully shading my bloodshot eyes. I compose myself for a moment. The young child doesn't say anything.

Eventually I look back up. The black-haired boy is sitting quietly, watching me. I bring my lips apart to snarl at him, but he merely adjusts his red cap.

I stare at him pointedly; but my resolve is withering. No one has stayed, with such serene interest, in my presence for so long.

He stares back, his inquisitive black eyes as veiled as the midnight sky. We stay like this, and finally I break. I ask why he's here and what he's doing. For a while he doesn't reply. I wait. He doesn't acknowledge he's even heard me. I give up and turn to leave.

I hear a mumbled sentence that sounds like a suggestion; something suspiciously resembles a hint, like he's insinuating something.

I strain my ears as he says it again, and then it hits me, just like my realization of earlier: she's not married yet. No, she was not married yet. There is still time.

I grin at the kid. He seems startled; I am too. I have not smiled in...what feels like several forevers.

I take up my blade and shield and dash out of the room, leaving the child with a vague smile on his face. I hope he knows how much he has just helped me. Briskly I deposit my weapons in my chamber, tossing them in without care. I rush back down the hallway, deciding to take the stairs down to her floor.

When I reach this level, I eagerly knock upon her door. No one answers. I frown in disappoint. Where would she be?

A passing vulpine Smasher notices me standing in bemusement, and helpfully suggests that the princess could be at her fiancé's room. I voice my thanks. Why didn't I think of that?

Oh yes, because I hate to remember that that loathsome mercenary exists.

I dart through the door and down the stairs, back up to a floor above mine. I open the door, my heart already in my mouth—

When the sight of two figures leaning against the wall meets my eyes. I halt bluntly, tripping over my astonished, big feet.

It's Zelda and Ike. Zelda is against the cold, stone wall, and Ike's body is pressed up against her slime frame. His hands are on either side of her head, palms flat against the wall as he slants his face to hers. Zelda's hands are around him, moving around his back, and their bodies are moving in unison by passion. Instantly I'm thoroughly humiliated; it is not as though I am a child, with immaturity, but it still feels shameful to see. Not only does this private sight crush every single fantasy I've ever had about my princess, but I know that if that was _me _and Zelda (I chuckle faintly, mirthlessly, and coldly at this idea) the last thing I would want is Ike spying on me.

I begin to stumble through the door, though for a second I hesitate.

In retrospect, it is rather shocking how fate toys with us relentlessly. This hesitation would ultimately be my worst undoing yet my long-awaited deliverance.

In this tiny particle of time, barely the space of a heartbeat (though mine is beating erratically fast) Zelda flutters her eyelids open, abruptly breaking her lips from her soon-to-be husband's.

She snaps her angled, breathing face to look directly at me.

Our eyes lock; I am frozen to the floor, I am melting into the cracks, I am sprouting into the sky, I am thrashing against the wind.

I am running out the door.

I sprint own the steps and onto my level; I wrench the door open and slam it behind me, collapsing onto the floor in a desolate and pathetic mess. I crawl to the window, peering through my blurry eyelashes at the drop below, pondering desperately if it would be enough to kill me. Deciding against it, I slump against the pane and let tears flow down my face.

I am pathetic. I am a disgrace. I am a man. _Men _don't cry. _Heroes _are not weak.

I am not strong. I am not a hero. I am the lowliest of the low…I am alone.

I cry out at the sky the forlorn and oblivious sky that only sparkles sarcastically back at me. It doesn't hear my misery or my fury; it only smiles down at ideal lovers like my fair princess and her worthy and true hero.

Yet as I bellow my agonies to the sky, I can't seem to fathom the small wink it gives me. I can't tell you how I understand, but I know – somewhere, somehow, that everything would work.

If everything would be settled in my favor, _that _I cannot tell you.

A/N: **Yay! A longer chapter with actual PLOT DEVELOPMENT! That's a first from ClumsyHeart, here. Actually, I'm sorry for the sucky chapters lately; I FINALLY (Thank you so much, God; really) finished my writing contest entry! Just in the nick 'o time, too, so YAY! :D :D Let's hope I win, lol. ;) So that's why I've been so busy and haven't updated anything. **

**Thank so much to those who reviewed! Which would be: (I love naming you guys!) Lovingyourillusion (Warning guys, grand author ahead), and Anyone, you are crazy! You make me so happy with your reviews! I'm so honored and pleased to have impressed you so much! and to Sorceress of Shadows, here's your update. :) Thanks for reviewing! To JSparks, I hope you got my message and I wish you more luck, simply because who doesn't want a lot of luck? ;) and to Moonlight, who I am hoping for a review from...? :) Thanks guys!**

**~ClumsyHeart17**

**And Note: Should I change my username? I want to, but I feel like nobody would remember me. So, what do you think? And, if you can bear such a long author note, I've been told I should continue my one-shot "As The World Falls Down". What do you think of that?**

**Hope you enjoyed, sorry for rambling, and thanks again!**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: **HOLY CRAP I UPDATED! Well, hello again! Quite honestly this chapter popped out of nowhere…and I sorta like it, though I think it's a bit sloppy. I suddenly have new plans for this story, though I think I could even cut it after this chapter…nah, maybe not. I'm not sure how I'll write the next chapter, but I like the direction it's taking. Thank you for reading!**

**Chapter 6**

It isn't raining today. In fact, it's nearly shimmering. The sun is streaming through the curtains, and for a second, I feel its warmth before it drifts behind a cloud.

This weather reminds me of Hyrule field, and the days I crossed it. It's odd to think of how vivacious I was then, compared to the zombie I am now.

I'm lying in bed, my hands behind my head, staring at the ceiling. It's very early morning, and I got as little sleep as always.

Because after last night, I've been turning over, non-stop, in my head about how I lost her.

I can pinpoint it exactly, too. I know exactly where it went wrong – perhaps not wrong, but when I lost her.

She wanted to go – she wanted to see the world, to dance across the galaxies and find herself among the constellations. And I didn't, having seen so much already. I told her what she'd find. I told her about the horrors I'd seen, but the wind had swept her off her feet, and I knew it was too late. She told me I was too scared to fly, and I said I was just too tired.

And when she came back…I asked her if she'd missed me while she was looking for herself.

I sigh. That was the moment. I never should have let her out of my grasp, and I know it. But I did anyway, because I loved her so much. I couldn't bear to hold her back.

I turn over into my pillow, and begin to weep.

I storm through the halls, though I'm not angry. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's just the sound of my boots echoing in the hallway that makes me cringe, so loud and clumsy-sounding.

I'm on my way back to my room, when I hear sobs. They're not very loud, but at this early in the morning, you could hear them from the stadium and back. Curious, I follow my ear to the source, and I have to hold back a smirk when I see Link's room.

Link's been moping about the Mansion for weeks, but more so after Ike and Zelda became engaged. It actually makes me dislike him so, because if I were in the same situation, I would just _do_ something about it, not sit around mourning.

I twist the knob, surprised to find it unlocked, but enter anyway. Link's turned away from the door, his head in his hands, his hair gold in the sun's weak light. I don't falter though, and he doesn't turn around.

Such a stark difference from me, from what I would do. And there's no doubt in my mind my way would actually get me somewhere, dammit, instead of…_this._

I begin to tell him off, these thoughts fueling my words, and as I think about it, the angrier I get. I hear my words becoming a sharp hiss, colder, scathing even. But they seem to be going right passed him. So my voice gets louder. Before I realize, I'm positively screaming at him, and that's when he turns around.

I want to fall through the floor when we lock gazes.

His blue eyes are pits for the deepest pain in the world, pain not a hundred years could fathom. Bits of his gold hair are clinging to his face, but some is hanging over his eyes, giving him the appearance of an old wolf. He looks beaten, dead, and so, so tired…

He reminds me of myself, a few years ago.

My body tenses, but I have gone quiet, and I can feel my face flushing. How dare I barge in, berating this dead spirit, when all he needed was…was time…alone….

But I want to reach out and help him. Before I can stop myself, I realize I'm crossing the room. He looks mildly surprised, and I'm sure I look shocked. Then I'm near him…I'm reaching out my hand…

That's when I regain control, turn, and flee the room.

When I glance back, I see his outstretched hand, and my heart breaks even further.

I try to comprehend what happened with Samus, as I clean myself up and make myself somewhat presentable.

But I really can't.

Obviously, she heard me, which still makes me turn a little bit red, but why did she stop? Nobody's stopped before. Her voice, escalating in volume and pitch. I'm not sure why I aggravated her so much, though I promise to never do it again.

But was she really irritated, when she looked so mortified at seeing my face? When she offered me her hand…then pulled it away? What was that about?

A part of me wants to believe she wanted to help. But the other part of me laughs at such a foolish suggestion.

It was a weird meeting, like a freak accident. I shake my head, endeavoring to forget it, then make my way out the door.

I keep my head down on the walk to breakfast, realizing just how many people I have to watch out for now. I make it there, though, without running into any of them.

I pick up my food blankly, not really caring, then turn to sit at my usual table. I begin to eat, wondering dimly where Zelda and Ike are, and if Zelda's thought about me at all since last night. God, how I wish I hadn't tried to talk to her. Maybe if I could just leave her alone, things would be okay again. If only I could get her out of my head….

I'm pretty lost in my thoughts when the clearing of throat interrupts me. I bring myself back, then look up, surprised, but still a little too far away to be properly shocked.

Then I'm flabbergasted.

There's Samus, standing over the chair across from me, her blond hair trickling over her shoulder as she gazes at me. I'm so used to her steady look, never faltering, that it's even more curious that she won't make eye contact.

She doesn't ask anything, just sits down quickly. I'm staring at her, bewildered, perhaps a bit hostile, but she doesn't seem to notice. She just eats. I wait.

Finally, she seems to pick up on the silence that's been ringing in both our ears, I'm sure. She ultimately looks at me, and I see regret in her green eyes. Of course –

"Hello, Link."

Her voice is friendly, kind, gentle…beautiful, melodious, welcoming and welcome. Instantly, before I can process it, the desire to hear more hits me harder than surely is normal. But mostly…it's the first voice I've heard in a long time.

And I blink at her, my eyes wide.

Then I smile a little bit, and nod back at her.

A/n: **Short, sweet, PLOT DEVELOPMENT. Yayz. Sorry for the trick chapter last time guys, but thank you for voting! The overwhelming vote was happy, and as for this chapter, I just want to say: don't jump to conclusions. :) Again, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/voted, it means quite a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And I do hope it's living up to your expectations. **

**Thank you for reading, please review, and I hope you enjoyed.**

**~Araceli L**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: WOAH LAST CHAPTER GUYS. Okay, big thank you is all at the end, but up here I wanted to say that sorry the last chapter (like a year ago) didn't have the correct line breaks. They didn't stay, apparently, so sorry for any confusion that caused. As for this chapter, I apologize for any accidental tense changes I missed. Also, brief WARNING: Some bad language! Just a few cases of f-bomb dropping, but if it offends you, please, close your eyes and insert a bleeping noise. I haven't written in present tense in a very, very long time, and it was more challenging than I thought! I hope I recaptured my earlier style so it flows cleanly, but be sure to leave a review and tell me how I did! Thank you so much, and enjoy the final Chapter of Alone.**

To say I am surprised might be the biggest understatement of my life.

I stare at her, my eyes wide, blank, embarrassed, confused, as she sits down gently, resting herself into the chair so delicately for her strong frame. I see her lovely, smooth cheeks - I notice with a bit of a blink - warming palely, the barest hint of rose blossoming there.

Her green eyes meet mine, and I am trapped for a second -

Can she see the pain? The hurt, the bewilderment, the shame, the fear that she will reveal me? Or is my mask still thick enough? Then again, judging by the looks I've been getting, my mask, as golden and heroic as it is, isn't nearly as strong as I thought.

But I refuse to let her turn this crack in my barricade to rubble. I will seal it up and keep myself quiet, as I always have.

She stares at me, refusing to be the one who breaks eye contact. For a brief second I see retribution in those green, green eyes. So green. Sparkling brighter than emeralds, sharper than jade, pure and welcome as a tropical jungle. So green.

I finally allow her to win, and look back down, not bothering to pull my hair out of my eyes. I feel pathetic, stupid, mortified for being caught whilst so weak, especially to one as strong and infallible as her.

Wasn't that what I was supposed to be? I wonder, biting my chapped lips in mild chagrin. A rough noise escapes my sore throat, and I bring my trembling hand to my neck, as if to cut off the noise. It sounds like a wounded animal, like an old, dying wolf.

I glance back up to see Samus eyeing me carefully, like an owner watching over a pet. I hate the scrutinizing gaze, the clear and unadulterated concern in her eyes. I'm not a precious little child. I don't need anyone to take care of me.

I don't need anyone to fix me.

I snarl at her, ignoring her when she seems to shrink back. I go back to eating, staring everywhere but her, anywhere but those bright, cautious eyes, framed so perfectly by cornsilk yellow locks, ending in soft, natural curls. I ignore the eager pose of her body as she leans toward me, I ignore the quiet sound she makes, one of animalistic, naked concern, and I ignore with so much difficulty the trembling touch on my arm.

The inside of my cheek bitten raw, I throw myself out of my seat and turn to leave, but not before hearing one sound hit me like a wave of salty, stinging water, and it opens my eyes; suddenly the world seems to be in all sorts of colors I have never seen before, contrasts blinding my eyes with the brightness and range of palettes, and while my sight is no longer so dull and dark, my ears seem to drink up every noise I can hear, every different pitch of voice vibrating in my skull with such renewed frequency and intensity I am for a second worried I will go deaf. All of this, from one simple, world-changing note in that sympathetic, beautifully and amazingly real voice of hers:

"Link!"

Frozen where I stand, I feel so small and weak compared to the hold that voice has on me. I want to crouch down, fall to my knees and worship the voice that ensnares me like a quivering rabbit in a trap, ready to die; I feel all of a sudden as though my world is over, and simultaneously as though it's just beginning.

I don't turn around to see her. I can't.

What - what the hell - the very, ever-loving fuck - does this fucking girl want with me?!

The anger courses through me faster than I ever thought possible, faster than her voice had gone through me. And, to my terror, it's much stronger, so much stronger than the new colors and sounds are - and there they go, drained from my senses like the earth sucked dry in a draught. I was a crinkling, crisp leaf in the wind, and suddenly I am the sun burning up the land with fury I never even imagined impossible.

And I wheel on her, where she's caught up to me, and her face is so much closer than I intended. For a second, a sliver of time, I meet her innocent, scared eyes, and they bore into me, tornados of twirling emotions.

But I ignore it and begin to bellow at her. I don't look in her eyes as I demand to know what she wants with me, why she can't leave me alone like everyone else figured out. I only catch glimpses of her eyes as I rant, yelling on and on about why she can't just leave me to my misery, thoughtless and indifferent like the rest of the idiots here; I feel the curses, the profanities, the sarcasm positively dripping from my lips as I tear her apart ferociously, feeling as though my words are claws, and I must be absolutely growling and biting by now, foaming at the mouth, I am nothing more than an animal. An injured brute with nothing on it's mind but survival.

My howls die down, somehow, and there she stands, battered, bruised, beaten; and then, her eyes billowing with tears, she stares at me.

I can't stand the look of such broken, harrowed pain, sadness...and pity.

And this time, instead of being angry at the pity, whether at myself or someone else, I just feel it radiating from her, and then it hits me, like those damn colors and fucking noises, this hits me in a new sense, and it hits me right in the fucking face.

_What have I done?_

And, again, I am running.

-AL-

I watch after him, hands left outstretched. Come back, Link. Come back...

_I want to fix you._

I watch my vision blur as the tears begin to freefall, but I don't mind, despite the people watching, amused or confused by the scene, I don't care. I care that this boy, this tattered wolf of a man, the one I have grown to worry about so much, just from a stupid mistake.

I gather myself, rubbing my long arms awkwardly, feeling gawky and uncomfortable in my body, and slowly leave my things behind. They don't matter. All that matters is Link.

How did I come to care for him so much?

That day I had seen him, invaded his privacy, more like, it had seemed as though I had seen him from the bottom of a grave, a tomb in which a thousand souls cried out for redemption I could never bring them. That no one could ever bring him. His eyes twisted into me like a blade, agony and fury lighting deep within, daring me to pity him and to save him. I didn't know what to do. How was I supposed to know what to do?

Whatever part of me tried to be a good person had prevailed, and pushed me forward despite my outer shell. I had reached for him, and for a split second, I saw him reaching back.

But then I ran, ran away just like he did.

But we hadn't always been running, I muse as I make my way around the stony, unfriendly walls of the manor. We were both hailed as heroes. We didn't run from our problems.

I think I understand Link a little bit more as a crooked smirk of chagrin winds up my face. We don't run away from our physical problems.

I feel that blade twist another notch through my heart. No, we don't. I remember the excruciating pain of a love lost, too. Of a love I never had.

I don't remember my parents as well as I want to. But, then again, I sometimes thought, maybe I don't want to have know them better. Might just make it even harder. But I remember the scent of my mother, the flowery perfume that evaded her as thought she were a living rose, and I remember her as just as beautiful. And my father. He'd smelled of warmth, of tanned hide and something I could never place...firewood, I'd eventually decided to call it, but I know it's not right. It is never right. And unfortunately, it was a smell that reminds me horribly, longingly, of Link.

For years I wondered if they were still alive. For most of my life I tortured myself into believing that I would see them again someday, that by thinking that all hope was lost they might actually come back. My reversed ways of thinking, of course, did nothing, and in the end, I always knew they were never going to come. They were never going to yell "Samus!" with a joy so profound and so long-awaited my very heart, my rough and calloused heart, would absolutely burst with all the overwhelming emotions I have barely ever felt: happiness, longing, home.

But in the end, I think, forcing myself to continue on as my knees start to buckle underneath me, they never came. My parents never got to see me grow up. My parents will never see me, with all my accomplishments.

And so I began to run again, as far away from the ghosts of my parents as I can, and I run so hard I think as though I might begin to fly, and I run again, no better than Link who might be able to run faster, but can't outrun them anymore than I can.

-AL-

I stand over the top of the building, gazing down intently at the ground so far below me. So far, falling from this distance wouldn't even hurt.

Not that I would. I am too much of a coward. Whatever part of me still has pride tells me that I've been through too much to give up now. And maybe it's right.

But I loved someone, and it went to waste. I had loved her so deeply. And I'd given her my all, and she'd promised me the same, and now she is somewhere else, telling another the same thing.

I stare into the horizon, a new thought entering the vicious cycle of my depression for the first time.

_Too in love to let it go..._

I am startled out of my fixation as I hear heavy footsteps behind me, on the stairwell. I turn quickly, shading my face with my shoulder, hoping, as usual, to hide it. But as I turn, my shoulders drop in amazement, and my jaw opens wide as I gape in stupid awe.

There's Samus, emerging from the last stair, cheeks bright pink from exertion, chest heaving as she slows herself. She looks...beautiful, I realize, a weird new feeling blooming in my chest like a swallow of sweet, spiced wine.

And her head jerks up as she looks at me, and then those intense, confusingly persistent, amazingly determined emeralds stare me down, and I watch as so many emotions cross her face, change the shape of her green eyes, twirling like a kaleidoscope through thoughts, as though she can't settle on what she wants to say, like the words are secrets hidden on the tip of her tongue as she pressures it to move. I can only gawk, speechless, thoughtless.

A tear or two glitters like a jewel as it traces a path down her rose-colored cheek, and she walks toward me. I can see her hands, nay, her whole body shaking as she advances, steps weak and uneven. I'm mildly worried for a minute that she's overexerted, but I quickly realize by the strength in her eyes that's it's pure determination. And a dash of nervousness?

And she's in front of me now, a foot or two away, and then she's a mere few inches away, and my breath is stopping short, my heart is paused in my chest as I wait for her next move. I am stuck as I was before, but this time, I simply can't tear my eyes away.

Her face, this close, is beaming like the most dazzling star I've ever seen. She looks so fresh, but I see pain deep in her eyes, in the tears streaming down her jaw. But her eyes are steady, so brave and promising as she stares at me, and all these feelings I can't understand are weaving through me, and for the first time in a long, long time, I forget about Zelda. All I can see is Samus as her lips move wordlessly, her supple, blush lips, becoming roughed when she bites them, searching for words. But I don't need words. Her eyes are telling me everything, even as I search her face for whatever it is I've always been looking for, even as she looks down, eyelashes frosted over with tears. Her eyes, sparkling and glimmering, seem to me like lights in the night sky, calling me to a place I haven't been for a very long time, and the bright green ribbons around my heart as it tries to find a steady rhythm. They speak to me of things I haven't dared dream of in a long, long time, those lights guiding me as I feel as though I can see into her soul. And all this time, her hands are wringing, and everything I remember saying is bubbling up in my throat, shame blocking my breaths, and for a minute or two I have no idea what to do except soak in her openness and sincerity, and so I do, until I feel a warm grip on my hands, and then her shaking, feather-soft fingers are intertwined in mine, a feeling I haven't had in a long time, and my eyebrows draw together in shock as all of a sudden her eyes are the only thing I can see -

"I've lost something I cannot replace, too."

A feeling, so warm, so welcoming, so strange and unfamiliar forces me to close my eyes in absolute pleasure. It's a feeling from long ago, a feeling I haven't felt in decades, centuries, eons. A feeling I remember dearly, but this time, it isn't tainted by betrayal. It isn't twisting, with secret intentions. It's pure, so innocent, and in awestruck wonder I feel the empty void inside of me fill up as I press Samus to me, and I begin to kiss her back.

Her lips are so delicate on mine, so tender and so full of emotion I feel my senses light up again, colors fireworking behind my eyes as I take her in, as I breath in the floral scent of her skin, so close to mine. Her hands clasp around mine tightly, and I feel light as air, I feel her positively yanking the void out of me like a sickness, and the wind is loud in my ears, her hair brushing me gently, soft as silk, glimmering in the corners of my eyes as I open them in astonishment.

There she is, her face so beautiful, so candid in total rapture as she pulls her sweet mouth away from mine. And those honest eyes, so unreserved and so unprejudiced, are searching mine in hope. I can only continue staring back, my breaths coming out of my mouth thickly as I try to fathom the turn my life just took.

The lights that are her green eyes smile at me, and all of a sudden, the only thing in the world that matters is that there's a person in front of me, having kissed me, who is willing to fix me.

To fix me.

Zelda is gone, the princess who betrayed me is gone. What matters, finally matters, is the beauty standing in front of me, chest heaving, eyes naked, smile so bright and happy I feel as though I may cry from the joy of seeing it. An angel is in front of me, sharing with me, through the tears, through the sympathy, through the kiss, that she's here with me.

_I am not alone._

Euphoria such as I have never felt erupts through me, shooting into my veins like a drug, and my head is spinning, absolutely dizzied, as I feel bliss bringing me back to earth. She breaks out into a relieved, anticipated smile, so sweet and innocent, it's all I can do to gaze at her in unconcealed gratitude. My words will never be enough.

And I bring her to me, hands still wrapped in mine, and I smile in what feels like the first time in forever. She laughs, and I take her in my arms and spin her around, unsure and indifferent as to what bond we have, that we're forming - we're here, we're now. She's with me in this moment, and with her kiss, she brought me back from the dead shadow land I had convinced myself to live in. No longer will I dwell in the land of the dead, the past!

And I tell her so, and she smiles so wide her cheeks go red, and I kiss her so passionately, so elatedly, I feel her laughing under it, but I keep kissing her anyway, and she breaks away to pull me to her as she hugs me so tight I know that, in that very moment, and maybe for every moment onward, she doesn't want to ever let me go. And that feeling is the best one I have ever experienced: the unconditional love I have been searching for for so, so long.

And her green eyes gaze into mine in hope, exhilaration, and a love I never thought I would see again.

"Samus," I whisper, and my voice, so unused and so quiet, makes those green eyes nothing but lights, stars to guide me home.

I know, in this moment, that I will never truly be alone again.

**A/N: Quick note about Samus and her parents: I've never played Metroid (sadly) but I do know a good amount of trivia. I'm unsure if she knew them at all before she was orphaned, but for the intents and purposes of this story, she did. Hope I didn't offended any Metorid fans.**

**Holy. Shit. Did I really complete my first multi-chapter fic ever?! Wow. Okay. Wow. So, um, yeah, this has been a long road. I started this when I was 13, and I turned 17 last weekend. But you know what? I'm okay with that. I'm so glad you guys convinced me to do a happy ending. I know it might sort of drag, in some opinions, but I was trying to make it feel stream of consciousness, and really focus on my earlier writing style to make sure everything connected, and not just connected, but have a good, full-circle, satisfying ending. I really hope I did well. Because this is my last chapter, I please ask that you review. It's been a long path, but I couldn't have done it with any of you. I appreciate you all so much, every review I've ever gotten, but so much so with this story as it hits me very personally. I'm so glad people like it, I'm actually elated, to be honest. Thank you so much. Please review and let me know how I did for the final chapter! Thank you all for sticking through with me! **

**So much love, always and always,  
Ace**


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